Power system.



M. L. SEVERY.

POWER SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE z5. 1913.

Patented sept. 15, 1914.

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M. L. SEVEN. POWER SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1913A 1,1 10,722. Patented sept. 15, 1914.

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motors and prevent the great losses attendbeing returned to the pressure tank against I ED sTATEs PATENT oFricE. i

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' Speeioatloalof Letters Patent. i 15, 1914.

spannen and :une as, isis. seriai m. 115,618.

To all whom-it may conce'm: Be itknown that I, MELviN SEVERY, o rlingtoni'Heights,.in the county of Middlesex and, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in :Power Systems, of .which the ollowing is his invention relates to an improvement in ower systems.

`he object of the invention is to provide a s ,stem by which energy may be stored tlliroughcthe agency of a relatively lightfluid, such as air for example, and thisen'- tively. heavyv fluid, suchas water, .oil or In the present embodiment of the invention a storage tank is employed containing two fluids of different s ecilic gravities, the power generator acting tlirough the agency of the lighter fluid, and the power consumer or motor acting through the agency ofthe heavier lVith this arrangement l am enabled to use a light, exceedingly mobile fluid for the pressure creator, and a denser, easily handled fluid for the propulsiva fluid for the motors. This makes it possible to packthe ant upon motors driven by a rare fluid like air.

'lhe invention contemplates the use of any means for creating a pressure in a tank containing two fluids, and utilizing the denser fluid in an engine or motor, said denser fluid the lpressure thereof to be used repeatedly.

The invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying' drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a system of apparatus embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation showing the in fragmentary horizontal section showing the arrangement of the stationary contact-memhere.y

` As illustrated in said drawings the present illustrative embodiment of the invention comprises a pressure tank 10, which is adapted to'contain two fluids 12 and 14, of d ili'erent densities. The former is prefer,- ably air, and the latter is any suitable liquid l such as Water, oil or glycerin. The tank 10 i may be rovided with a dome or air chamber 16, whic is connected by a pipe 18 with any suitable form of pump 20, by which air or other relatively light fluid maybe umped into said chamber. This pum is s own as a rotary pump, but it should e understood that any -suitable pump or other meansfor performing this function may be employed,

vsaid means being' driven by an lengine or motor.

The tank 10 is connected by a pipe 22 with a pipe Ahaving two branches 24, 25, which are connected to power consuming means, such as motors 26, 28, respectively. The motor 26 has a shaft 30.7journaled in suitable bearings 31, 32, and the motor 28 has a shaft 34 journaled in suitable bearings 35, 36, said shafts being shown separate for convenience in enabling them to be used in place of differential gearing in automobile work, although any number vof power consuming devices may be employed. The discharge ports of the. motors 26 and 28 are connected by branch pipes 38, 39,.to a pipe 40, which is connected to a common return pipe 42, the latter being connected to a pair of receivers 44, 45 in w ich'the liquid is accumulated and periodically returned tn the ressure tank 10.

The pipe 42 is connected to t e bottom of the receivers 44,- 45 by branches 41, 43 entering three-way valves 46, 48, which ane adapted to be turned so as to shut olf communication between said receivers, an to open communication between said receivers and pipes 47 which communicate with the pressuretank and-extend below the surface of thewliquiil therein. Two receivers 44, 45 are employed so that while one is discharging-into the pressure tank 10,-the other can be filling from the pi e 42.

he domeA or air-chamber 16 is'- connected to a pipe 50, having branches l49 and 51 connected with the tops of the receivers 44, 45

'through three-way valves 52, 54, which are adapted to be turned so as to shut oli' communication between said pipe and the tops of said receivers, and to open communication between said receivers and the atmosphere.

The valves 46 and 52 are providedwitli` stems 56 and 58, having gears 60 and 61, re-

spectively, said gears meshing with sectors 62, 63 mounted on stud shafts 64, 66. The sectors 62, 63 are in the form of levers fulcrumedupon the studs '64, 66, said levers being connected by a' pitman 68 sri-that they will move in unison and operate the valves 46 and 52 simultaneously.

The valves 48 and 54 are provided! with (pipe 42 and the bottom of said ioo ' engaging a collar 108 ahxed to said ro `the slidable rod 82.

stems 70, 71, having gears 72, 73, respectively, said gears meshing with ,sectors 74, mounted on stud shafts like 64 and 66.' The sectors 74, 75 are in the form of levers. fulcrumed upon stud shafts, and are connected by a pitman 8 0 so that they willl more in unimn and operate thevlvalves 48 and 54 simultaneously.

Each receiver 44, 45 is provided with a rod 82 upon which a float 84 is mounted to 'i slide, said rodl being alsoslidably mounted in guides 85, 86 at its upper and lower ends. The rod 82 is provided with a sleeve 88, which is fast thereon .and has two grooves 89 and 90 adapted to receive the bent end of a spring finger 92 secured to the outlet of the tank, said finger operating to hold said rod in its lowermost position until lraised by the float 84 coming into engagement with a collar94 fast on said rod, and said rod is held in its uppermost position by said finger until the float engages a collar 95 on the i lower end of said rod, and said finger also acts as an electric contact-member to 4provide connection between the receiver and Two stationary sets of contact-members 100, 102 are mounted so as to projectl into the interior of each of the pipes 49, 51, each set being preferably composed of several contact-members insulated from said pipes. T he contact-members of each set are connected to a common conductor, as shown in Fig. 1, to assure Va vgood connection between said stationary contact-members and a cooperating contact-membcr 104, which is slidably mountedon the rod 82 and engaged by a spring 106 embracing said rod,- said s ring In order to control the operation of the valves at the top and bottom of the receivers 44, 45, I provide a pair of solenoids 109, 11.1, and 11.0, 112 for each tank `or receiver. As the operation of both sets of solenoids'is the same, only one set need be explained. The coil 110 1s connected' by a wire 114 to the upper series of contactmembers 100, and said coil is connected by' 'a wire 116 to one pole of a battery 118,- the other pole of which is connected by a wire '120 to the receiver 44. The coil 112 is connected by` a wire 122 to the battery 118, and by a wire 124 to the lower series of stationary contactmembers 102. Cores 125 for the coils 110.. 109 are pivotall connected to 'one end of the levers 63 an 75, and cores- 126 for the coils 112, 111 are pivotally connected to one end of the levers 62 and 74,'so that when said coils are energized said cores are attracted to operate said levers and their sectors,and also the valves controlled thereby.

` The operation ofthe system is as follows: Air or other relatively light fluid is pumped by thenlpump 20 through the pipe 18 into the t '10 above-the liquid 14, and this liquid is denvered through the pipe 22 to the motors R26 and 28 asA required. The liquid is exhausted from the Vmotors into the 'b1-anches 38, 39 and the pipe 40 to the rethat communication between the pressure tank 10 and the Areceiver has' been closed,

E and communication between said pipe and said receiver or accumulatlng tank is open,

and the upper valve has established communication between the tank 44 and the atmosphere through the port 97.- lThe exhaust liquid then enters the receiver, and the float 84 rises until it engages the collar 94 fast on the rod 82, and -raises said rod to bring the contact-member 104 into engage g ment with the'upper set of stationary contact-members 100. The circuit is now closed through the solenoid 110, which is energized and draws down its core 125. This causes the sectors 62, 63 to be swung up from the position shown, so that the valves 46, 52 are glven a quarter-turn counter clockwise. Then this movement has taken placetlie receiver is open to the pressure in the tank 10 at both top and bottom, and-the li uid .in the ,receiver falls by gravity into sai tank. When the receiver is emptied the float 84 is returned to the position shown in Fig. 2, in engagement with the collar 95 on the rod 82, and the contact-members'104 and 102 are brought into engagement. Thereu on the lower solenoid 112 is energized an draws up its core 126, thus swinging the sectors into the position shown in Fig'. 2. The valve 46 is thereby turned to close communication between the receiver and the tank 10, and establish communication between said receiver and the pipes 41, 42; and the valve 52 is turned toshut off oommunication between the receiver and the pipe,50 and to open communication between said receiver and the atmosphere, so that said receiver may be again filled with the liquid,

it being understood that the other receiverY bor which 'creates a pressure of. a re atively lll light Huid vvin va receiver, anda relatively heavyfluid subjectedfto said pressure for circulation to utilize" the energy from said "generator, .and means -for returning said relatively heavy fi'uid'to 'said receiver against Asaid pressure.

3. A power- `systerr'i comprising a prime iiieinlier arranged vto create vafpressure in a receiver, a secondary .member arranged to use a. fluid under pressurelfroi'n said receiver,

v and meaiisforretu'rnin saidiised fluid -t peatedly used.

said y.receiver undersai pressure-*to re- A power system, c oinpriei g containing twoouds of differenti specifiegravities, means for compressing ,the lighter of ing said liqui to said 'inuiiicatiom means:

`tacle containingl two fluids o saidhiidS, means forutilizing the heavier osai'd fluids, andnieans for returning said heavier... tiuid'ptgsaid `tiret-named means against tlief-pressureofsaid lighter fluid'. Y

5. A power system`,-feon iprising a'recepta- V turned to said tank while the latter is under pressure.

7. A 'power system, comprisin a .recepdifferent s ecific' gravities, means for compressing the lighter of saidiluids, a plurality of'receivers for accumulating the heavier of said fluids and means for returning said heavier flui to said receptacle while the latter is under the pressure of said lighter fluid, said receivers being so arranged that while one is,

tacle containing two iuids o diiferentf specific gravities under pressure, a receiver'j adapted to accumlate said heavier'fluid, and` f Y means whereby both ends of saidreceiver may be lsimultaneously placed in communica-- discharging another may be charging. f

8. A power system, comprisin tion with the pressure in said receptacle,

whereby said heavier fluidv is discharged from said receiver into said receptacle byl gravity.

9. A power system, comprisin Aa .recep-k di'erent tacle containing two iuids e specific gravities, means for .compressing the lighter of said fluids, a receiver adapted to accumulate the heavier fluid, means whereby said heavier fluid is returned to said receptacle while the latter is under the pressure of said lighter fluid, and electro-responsive means for controlling the return of said heavier fluid.

10. A-power system, comprisin a .tank containing a liquid and a gas un er pressure, means for-compressing said gas into` 'said tank, a receiver for acgumiilating said liquid, piping connecting both ends of said receiver with said tank, and valves in said piping arranged to place both ends of said'l receiver simultaneously in .communication withl the vpressure in said tank,` whereby said liquid is discharged from lsaid receiver into said tank by gravity.

I n testimony whereofI haveaxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses. MELVIN L. SEVERY.

.Witnessesi -f EDWARD S. WILLIAM J Smm.. 

